Duck, Stepney and the Bluebell Thieves
by Goldsaddletank
Summary: Duck is determined to help Stepney catch some bluebell thieves when Sodor's bluebells are being illegally removed from the Bluebell Railway. With an important annual market looming in Great Waterton, can Duck and Stepney stop the thieves and save the Bluebell Railway?
1. Stolen Bluebells

Duck liked bluebells, as they always reminded him of Stepney- a close and dear friend of his from the Bluebell Railway in England. Stepney also had a line on Sodor which he ran when he was on Sodor - with the help of a couple of engines such as Flora and Stanley when they weren't working at Great Waterton. Stepney was a kind and cheerful chap who was loved by all.

One day, Duck was heading up to Wellsworth Station with some supplies to fix the roof after a spring storm, when he saw a familiar yellow engine there, talking to Edward, who also a very dear friend of Duck's. Duck blew his whistle in greeting as he pulled in.

"Hello Edward! Hello Stepney! It's great to see you back on the Island!"

Hello Duck," Edward greeted warmly. "It's a lovely day."

"Hullo, Duck," Stepney replied, dully.

"What's the matter, Stepney?" Duck asked in concern. "You're usually more jovial than this."

"I know," Replied the Terrier. "I'm just...I have to go." He said suddenly, and he left the station, leaving a confused and hurt Duck behind.

"Don't take that to heart, Duck." Edward told him. "Poor chap's really upset."

"Do you know why?"

"He said something about his branch line, but I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that. But I think you could get more of an answer from him than I could."

"Well, thanks anyway Edward," Duck sighed. "I brought those supplies for the roof." He added, changing the subject.

"Thank you Duck- that's much appreciated. No one likes a station with a leaky roof!" Edward grinned. Duck whistled, and hurried on.

...

He met Stepney again at a junction, still looking very upset. "Hey, Step," He wheeshed. "What's wrong?"

Stepney sighed sadly. "It's a cruel world, Duck- men ripping up engines and bluebells for profits..."

Needless to say, the GWR pannier was very confused on hearing this statement. He understood a connection for Stepney- but why the bluebells again?

"Come on, Stepney- you'll feel better if you talk about it." Duck coaxed, and Stepney relented.

"Okay...some men have been removing bluebells on my line...and selling them!"

"No!" Gasped Duck in horror.

"Yes!" Wailed Stepney. "They bring spades and they dig 'em up from the hill beside my line! Then they sell 'em illegally further along from where they've been removing them!"

"That's awful!" Exclaimed Duck, wheeshing in sympathy.

"Not to mention against the law." Stepney added indignantly. "They're not allowed to remove wild bluebells from their growing spot, and they're not allowed to sell them either! I saw them only the other day, you know, and they were cursing and digging and trampling all over those poor bluebells..." the little yellow engine trailed off sadly. "I want to stop those men, but...I don't know how."

"I shall be glad to be of assistance, Stepney!" Duck assured, and this brightened Stepney's mood. He immediately perked up, and said "Oh, thank you Duck! You're a good friend! I really do appreciate you helping me save the bluebells of Sodor."

"No worries, Stepney," Replied Duck. "We'll catch those bluebell thieves yet!"

...

A/N Just a little project about my favourite flower! And two awesome engines from the RWS! Hope you enjoyed, and chapter 2 will be up at some point.


	2. Help from Great Waterton

"So how will we catch them?" Stepney asked his friend curiously.

"Well, first, we do some investigating!" Duck decided boldly. "If we can figure out any information that could help us catch them, we could use it later on to stop them."

Stepney thought about this. Logically, it sounded like a good plan, but they had to work out a starting point. "Like what they look like?" He offered at last, remembering an incident from yesterday.

"If you can provide descriptions, they'll be helpful," Duck said. "But what might also help is when they normally strike- if you have that information handy, of course."

"Hm..." Said Stepney, thoughtfully. "Well, usually come when I'm not there- though I can tell when they've been. But yesterday, I was early with my train- it was 5 to three when I arrived, not six past three like I usually arrive, and I saw two figures on the hillside. They were equipped with shovels and about 5 or 6 sacks of bluebells." He shuddered. "Those poor bluebells shouldn't be ripped up and stuffed into a sack like newly harvested potatoes!"

Duck felt for Stepney- it was clear he was so upset for the plight of the bluebells that he found it difficult to be jovial.

"They were really strong looking," Stepney began. "They were dressed in brown clothing."

"Hm- they're not doing a good job of this," Mused Duck thoughtfully. "Alright. So they strike when you're out pulling trains."

"Yes, it would seem so." Stepney said miserably.

"Don't worry, Step- we'll catch these guys in the act," Promised Duck, which made the little yellow engine smile.

"Thank you, Duck."

"Don't mention it."

...

In the end, Duck decided the best thing to do first would be to alert Stanley and Flora- who ran the line when they weren't needed at Great Waterton.

"That way, if something happens when they're there, then they can tell us. Plus, we could do with some help to catch them." The pannier explained.

"That sounds great, Duck!" Stepney exclaimed, full of delight at the chance to save the poor bluebells.

"Not really, Step- I would do more, but we currently have vague details, no evidence, and one witness. At this stage, we could only get more engines and their crews involved."

"Shall we tell the Fat Controller?" Asked Stepney.

"Well..." Duck paused. "That would be worthwhile- but we better get some evidence first."

"They're ripping up the valley!" Stepney argued. "How can that not be proof?"

"Well...it can...but we might need to get more evidence anyway. It never hurt to back up a claim." Duck commented.

"Fair point," Conceded Stepney. "So, shall we tell Flora and Stepney now?"

"Wait...you want to come with me?" Duck asked in surprise.

"Of course!"

"...okay."

...

At the next possible opportunity, Duck and Stepney managed to catch up with Flora and Stanley at Great Waterton, who were allowed a quick rest and were chatting idly. "Hello, Duck! Hello Stepney!" The two friends chorused, as Duck and Stepney came to a halt.

"Can we help you?" Stanley asked.

"Well, it would be appreciated if the both of you could help," Duck began. "You see, thieves have been ravaging Stepney's Branchline"-

"Oh no!" Exclaimed Flora.

"And taking all the bluebells!" Stepney finished indignantly- only to be met with blank stares.

"Um, no offence, but I don't see how"-

"They're ruining the line!" Stepney pointed out. "Plus, it's against the law to remove wild bluebells to sell!"

That snapped their attention.

"My apologies for before," said Stanley earnestly. "No one messes with the British Law and gets away with it! I shall be more than happy to assist!"

"Thank you, Stanley!" Duck exclaimed happily. "We're more than happy to have you aboard! Flora? Will you join us?"

"Oh...I...I don't know!" She said. "I do feel bad for those bluebells, but it seems rather...dangerous. I'm sorry, Stepney."

Stanley frowned. "Hey, there's no need to be worried, Flora- we'll be right by your side!" He reminded her.

"Precisely- we just need engines to help us catch them," Said Duck. "Your help would be much appreciated, but if you don't want to do it, then, we'll respect your decision."

"...thank you," Said Flora gratefully.

Stepney, Stanley and Duck started to talk about plans to get the evidence and catch the thieves, whilst poor Flora stood nearby, listening to their conversation.

' _Just look at yourself!'_ A nasty little voice sneered at Flora inside her mind. _'As timid as a mouse! Mousey Flora!'_

'I am NOT timid!' Flora thought to herself stubbornly. 'I just think it's dangerous!'

' _Really? Who would walk away from a friend in need? Oh, right- Miss Mousey herself!'_ The voice argued.

That thought felt like a slap to the face- and Flora knew she wouldn't dare let Stepney down-she couldn't bear the thought of looking him in the eye again if she had backed away.

So, there was only one thing left for her to say.

"Um, is there...uh, room for one more?" She inquired at last to her friends, who all grinned at her in delight at her changing her mind.

"Hooray! Thanks, Flora!" Stepney cheered happily.

"That's great to hear!" Beamed Duck.

"Don't worry, Flora- we're with you, every step of the way," Stanley whispered to her. And Flora couldn't help but smile- with her dear friends by her side, she was certain that nothing could go wrong.


	3. Friends Old and New

Nearly five days after his and Duck's trip to Great Waterton, Stepney shivered as he waited patiently in the Depot for the GWR pannier tank to arrive. He'd met Donald delivering coal to his branchline and asked the Scottish engine to pass the word to Duck. Donald had agreed but now, Duck was late- which was unusually like him.

Stepney just hoped his friend would arrive soon; more bluebells had been stolen, and some of Stepney's passengers began complaining of the bald patches among the blue. Most had been kind, knowing it wasn't poor Stepney's fault, but a few had been downright rude and refused to travel on such 'an ugly line.'

It hurt the poor engine's feelings, and he had cried himself to sleep, fearing that if he lost any more passengers, his line would lose money and must close; and Stepney himself would face the scrapyards a third time.

He was certain if he did, it would be his last.

A chuffing noise aroused him out of his melancholic thoughts, and he looked up to see a familiar little diesel smiling back at him.

"Rusty!" He cried in a relieved greeting.

"Hullo, Step!" Rusty replied jocundly. "What a wonderful surprise to see you on our turf! How are you, old friend?"

"Not well, if I can be so frank," Confessed Stepney. "How about yourself?"

"I'm well, thank you; aside from blowing a fuse on my maintenance run." Rusty pulled a face.

"I just hope Duncan wasn't involved," Quipped Stepney, and the small diesel chuckled.

"He'd love the compliment, I'm sure," Rusty answered wryly. "But, enough about this silly fuse! Whatever's the matter, Stepney?" He asked in concern. "You mentioned that something is troubling you?"

Stepney was about to answer, when he saw that his friend had been shunted into the Depot by an unusually small and very unfamiliar light green tank engine. Beside the green engine was a teenage girl with bleached blonde hair in a very short hairstyle, and a quizzical, concerned look on her face.

"Who are your friends, Rusty?" He asked, a tad warily. His experiences with death in the Scrapyards had taught him to exercise caution; especially his encounter with Arry and Bert.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Rusty. "Sorry, Stepney. That's Luke behind me; he's the newest engine on our fleet, and a very invaluable member of the team. And that's Lexi Heron- she's our new polisher. Lexi, Luke, this is Stepney, an old friend of mine. They're both very trustworthy, so whatever you need to say to me, you can say to them; unless it's extremely private, of course."

"No, no, they can stay, if they wish," Stepney relented. He felt that they seemed honest; besides, he felt that, like with Stanley, Duck and Flora- the more word got out, the more people and engines who could offer help, advice and support.

But, of course, he needed people and engines he felt he could trust. So, if Rusty trusted these two, then he'd do the same.

"Hello," Luke greeted Stepney, in a soft Irish accent which rang across the yard; and caught the little bluebell engine off guard in the process, for he hadn't met a lot of engines from the Green Isle.

"Hi, Stepney!" Lexi chimed in, waving at him with a broad smile on her face. Stepney smiled back. She seemed kind enough.

"Well, now that we're all acquainted, I have some important but terrible news to share." Stepney informed the trio, his face crestfallen. He received only silence in response, so he continued, "Some person, or persons, is illegally taking bluebells from my branchline," he said sadly.

"That's terrible!" Rusty exclaimed. Luke and Lexi gasped in shock and horror at this revelation. "We're dreadfully sorry to hear that, old chap- is there anything we can do to help?"

"Well, if you guys see any suspicious activity that might bear relevance, that would be useful; as well as passing the word to Skarloey and the others. The more that are aware of the situation, the more likely Duck and I can work towards catching these bluebell brutes!"

"We'll certainly do our best to help," Promised Luke, kindly. "I'll be shunting with Sir Handel, Rheneas and Peter Sam shortly- I'll tell them about the bluebells and get them to keep an eye out."

"And I'll see if I can increase awareness among the passengers," Lexi added. "I'm heading back to Crovan's Gate Station, so I'll pass the word among the passengers- and Duke has a train due to leave not long after I'll arrive, so 'll get the word to him, too."

"Thank you, guys. That's certainly very helpful," Stepney wheeshed gratefully.

Rusty felt guilty that he couldn't get out of the shed until he was mended; but he was also determined to help his friend. "I'm afraid I can't go anywhere until I'm mended, but I'll certainly tell any engines who come in here." He said.

"Thank you, Rusty. I knew I could count on you." Stepney smiled, and Rusty returned the smile in kind; just as a puffed- out Duck finally rolled into the Depot.

"So sorry I'm late, Stepney," he wheezed, embarrassed at keeping his friend waiting; more so since he thought Donald had been trying to joke around, and thus failed to recognize the significance of Donald's message until it was too late.

"Why- did you miss your boat?" Lexi joked. Duck took no notice.

But Stepney wasn't cross. "Don't worry, Duck- I got the chance to tell Rusty and these two youngsters about the situation at hand."

"Oh, good, more allies." Duck grinned in relief. "Any news?" He asked.

"All I've seen since we last met was that some of my passengers have complained about the state of the line… and numbers have dropped." The yellow tank engine reported, glumly. Duck winced at the news. "What about you?"

"Stanley told me that he and Flora are helping at a market in Great Waterton- he thinks the thieves may attempt to sell the bluebells there."

"The scoundrels!" Hissed Stepney, furiously. "When will this end?!"

"Don't worry, Stepney- we'll get those thieves yet." Rusty soothed. But Lexi frowned, as though she was puzzling something out in her mind.

"Hang on a mo., Duck, did you say a market? As in, the annual Founder's Market?" she asked, looking over at her friend.

"Yeah- you've heard of it?" Duck asked. Flora and Stanley told him that it was a special market to celebrate the founding -and re-founding- of Great Waterton; with food, music, dancing, train rides, entertainment and stalls selling goods such as crafts, books, homemade goods, such as cheeses, chocolates and chutneys- and flowers.

"To say the least!" Replied Lexi, her face breaking into a relieved smile at this small titbit of information, "Some of my friends are in the school band and they'll be playing there on the day, along with the Sodor Brass Band!"

"Ah, the Crovan's Gate High School Band, right?" Duck recalled, to which Lexi nodded enthusiastically.

"This gets better and better!" The GWR engine exclaimed in giddy delight; before catching Stepney's eye. "Beg pardon, old friend- I didn't mean about the branchline, I just mean that"-

"It's fine," Smiled the famous yellow engine. "I know what you mean."

"We'll work on a plan to catch them, but for now, we have allies, and a potential target to focus on," Duck continued. "Luke, Rusty, are you and the other narrow-gauge engines involved with the market at all?"

"At the very least, we'll probably have an increase in passenger traffic," Observed Luke. "They'll be people on our line and around the area wanting to go to it, so we might be giving the NWR more passengers that day."

"Excellent point, Luke," Duck praised warmly. "We'll certainly bear that information in mind."

Luke blushed. "Just happy to help," he said.

Stepney knew that, although the morning's events were a complete serendipity- he was very glad to have an old friend's help once more, and to have the assistance of two new friends in addition.


End file.
